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Bassmaster Classic, the 'Super Bowl of Bass Fishing,' coming to Knoxville in 2019

Called the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing,” the event's 50th year will be held on the Tennessee River and connected waterways from March 15 to 17, starting from Volunteer Landing on Knoxville’s riverfront.

State and local officials are flanked by likely competitors in the 2019 Bassmaster Classic, which will be held in Knoxville March 15 through 17. The announcement came April 11, 2018, at Volunteer Landing on Knoxville’s riverfront.(Photo: Jim Gaines/News Sentinel)Buy Photo

The GEICO Bassmaster Classic is coming to Knoxville for the first time, officials from B.A.S.S. LLC, Tennessee, Knoxville and Knox County announced Wednesday afternoon.

Called the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing,” the event's 50th year will be held on the Tennessee River and connected waterways from March 15 to 17, starting from Volunteer Landing on Knoxville’s riverfront.

The tournament and all related activities are free to spectators.

The event, presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, has drawn more than 100,000 people in previous years, with $25 million economic impact; and Visit Knoxville President Kim Bumpas said she expects Knoxville’s turnout to exceed that.

“Knoxville meets and exceeds all the requirements we have for the Bassmaster Classic – great fishing on the Tennessee River, first-class facilities to accommodate crowds of fishing fans, a vibrant city with plenty to see and do, and a corps of state and local tourism professionals who will ensure its success,” B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin said in the announcement. “Bass fishing is hugely popular in this part of the country. In fact, 10 of our 109 Bassmaster Elite Series pros are from the Volunteer State, and most live in East Tennessee. This is going to be a very exciting Classic.”

B.A.S.S. likes to take its flagship event to new areas, exposing residents of those places to fishing, said Dave Precht, vice president for editorial and communications for Birmingham-based B.A.S.S.

Proximity is key

“It’s kind of a surprise we haven’t been here before,” he said. Everything anglers need, from boat put-ins to weighing facilities, is practically within walking distance in Knoxville, Precht said. In previous host cities, it was sometimes a 45- to 90-minute drive from accommodations to fishing spots, he said.

“It’s exciting too that fishing is so strong here,” Precht said.

Knoxville has built up its recreational system of greenways, but its “blueways” have gone largely ignored for years, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero said. Now those watery assets are developing, she said, gesturing to the construction visible across the river. The Bassmaster Classic will highlight local lakes and rivers, and will fill downtown hotels, introducing many visitors to the area, Rogero said.

Competitors will be allowed to fish on a 55-mile stretch, upstream from the Fort Loudoun Dam to the Interstate 40 bridge on the Holston River and the State Route 168 bridge on the French Broad River, plus Fort Loudoun and Tellico lakes.

Competitors will vie for $1 million in prizes, with $300,000 going to the winner. Jordan Lee of Grant, Alabama, a 26-year-old former college fishing champion, is the youngest ever to win back-to-back Classic titles. He’s only one of three people to ever win two in a row, and he’s this year’s defending champion.

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The 2018 Bassmaster Classic closed its first day of competition like it was the opening act of a concert.
Wochit

The tournament details

The tournament is limited to 50 people, of whom about 40 will probably qualify from the B.A.S.S. Elite Series; so not all the ranked local fishermen are guaranteed a spot, Precht said. And a local participant doesn’t necessarily have an advantage.

“Through most of our history the local anglers didn’t do well,” he said. Then for three or four consecutive years, people from near each year’s tournament location won.

Anglers from other areas can come to East Tennessee and practice for months preceding the event, but the usual prey – black bass – are strangely variable in behavior depending on weather, time and other factors, Precht said. Ultimately the anglers who can adapt to immediate conditions will do best, he said.

Retaining walls are seen along Volunteer Landing Lane on Tuesday, May 3, 2016.(Photo: Adam Lau)

Volunteer Landing will be the focus and daily starting point of the tournament, from which anglers will speed to their chosen spots on lakes and other rivers, Bumpas said. ESPN will follow the fishing boats, televising the competition, she said.

Weigh-ins of the fish caught will take place at the University of Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Arena, Bumpas said. The tournament is catch-and-release, with the fish going into holding tanks at the weigh-in before being returned to the river or lake, she said.

On the same days as the tournament the Bassmaster Classic Outdoor Expo, also presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, will be held nearby in the Knoxville Convention Center and the adjacent World’s Fair Exhibition Hall, which is being renovated.

Kim Bumpas(Photo: Submitted)

Knoxville hosted the Bassmaster Elite on Cherokee lake in 2017, Bumpas said, and B.A.S.S. Nation Championship amateur tournaments were held here in 1998 and 2000, but there has never been a professional tournament on this section of the Tennessee River.

The efforts go back some time

Efforts to attract the Bassmaster Classic date back a decade, Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett said.

State tourism officials met with B.A.S.S. and Visit Knoxville leaders three times to discuss what was needed to host the tournament, Tennessee Tourist Development Commissioner Kevin Triplett said.

“It takes a decent amount of money to run an event of this size,” he said. The state, city and county all contributed through Visit Knoxville to provide what the tournament and its attendees need, Triplett said.

“We think that it will pay dividends,” he said.

City, county and state each put in $100,000 to cover hosting an event of this magnitude, Bumpas said. Visit Knoxville is also contributing substantially to hosting the event. The agency will probably help competitors, their families and fans line up rooms, packaged with other area tours, attractions and activities, she said. Serving Bassmaster guests won’t be a one-weekend effort; it will likely stretch over six months, Bumpas said.

Precht said he thinks local residents will be amazed by the number of spectators who come from far away to the Bassmaster Classic. Fishing fans follow events as avidly as NASCAR enthusiasts, he said.